1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for improving reading and speaking skills, and in particular, to a set of tools and a method of using the tools to allow a user to self-develop their active reading, listening and speech skills, thereby improving speed and comprehension.
2. Description of the Background
Encouraging self-reading promotes literacy. Nearly every study that has examined the relationship between self-reading and literacy development has found a correlation. The results show that free reading leads to better reading comprehension, a more mature writing style, increased vocabulary, improvement in spelling, and a greater sense of language forms and conventions (Krashen, 1993, p. 12). In recent years great emphasis has been placed on improving reading skills for readers of all ages. Programs abound, such as xe2x80x9cDEARxe2x80x9d (Drop Everything And Readxe2x80x9d), Silent Sustained Reading (xe2x80x9cSSRxe2x80x9d), and others which allow students, teacher, principals, and all other adult staff to read silently in a book of their choice for a few minutes each day. The singular purpose of these programs is to exercise reading as a skill.
Partly as a result of the emphasis on reading, there have been certain efforts to improve reading skills by fine-tuning the actual mechanics of reading. For example, Reading by Phonics is a well-known method which teaches the reader to read phonetically. Similarly, a number of software programs have been written which attempt to improve reading speed and comprehension.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,056,551 shows a method of and apparatus for computer aided reading training whereby text is displayed on a video monitor screen, segmented into textual portions, each portion appearing for a duration and quantity controlled by the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,205 shows a computerized tachistoscope that flashes successive groups of words at an increasingly greater speed, to assist in improving the reader""s reading rate.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,195,640 shows a method of allowing a reader to dictate the position and speed at which content is converted to audio in an audio reader. The reader""s reading drives the text to speech conversion.
Unfortunately, these and like systems can be expensive and time consuming, requiring an investment in the software and in the time to learn and use the software. More importantly, the effectiveness is uncertain (aside from the direct effect of more reading).
According to the so-called xe2x80x9cTomatisxe2x80x9d effect, any modification in the sound information which a subject receives induces a transformation of his/her vocal supply, i.e. of the physical characteristics of the sound message which he/she emits by speaking or singing. See, U.S. Pat. No. 4,212,119 to Tomatis, issued Jul. 15, 1980. Tomatis suggests an electronic device that improves listening skills by alerting the human ear by osseous conduction that a sound is on the way, and then by transmitting the sound to the ear only after the ear has been alerted previously by osseous conduction.
The present inventor understands that a speaker does not hear an accurate representation of their own voice. This is because the acoustic signal is transmitted through the jaw bone and skull and is damped thereby. Other listeners hear a direct aerial transmission and an accurate representation. Building on the above-described Tomatis effect, it is perceived that a modification of the sound information which a subject receives while reading aloud to eliminate the damped low frequency components will induce a positive transformation of the physical characteristics of the sound message which he/she emits by speaking. The speaker will try to read and speak more clearly based on accurate feedback, and this will improve vocabulary and reading comprehension as well as other communicative skills.
Building on the above, it would be greatly advantageous to provide a reading improvement training system (inclusive of training tools and method of using the tools) to improve reading skills, e.g., to teach a reading style with proper inflection as if the reader is telling a story to someone across the room. The system should be low cost, provide immediate feedback to the user, and show positive results in improved reading ability within a short time frame. The approach would preferably be a structured, systematic, multi-sensory (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile) training method that would succeed in teaching linguistic concepts and relationships of language (spatial, temporal, comparative), and to improve vocabulary and reading comprehension as well as other communicative skills.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method for improving a reader""s reading speed and comprehension, whereby the reader reads aloud into an amplifier that sends the reader""s voice to a earphone receiver positioned in the reader""s dominant ear, thereby allowing the reader to hear and assimilate his/her own reading.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for improving a reader""s reading skills whereby the reader, while reading, practices breathing techniques and pauses between words, while intermittently looking into a mirror, to improve confidence and self esteem in reading abilities.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a set of tools for use in practicing the method described herein, said tools including a microphone headset to be worn by the reader, an amplifier, a mirror device, and any subject text.
The foregoing method begins with the reader reading aloud into a microphone that is attached to an amplifier which amplifies the reader""s voice. The reader""s voice is amplified so as to dampen low frequency sound while enhancing higher and mid-range frequency sound. The reader is energized by the sound of their own voice, and more so by the enhanced frequency sound. Moreover, the low frequency feedback is filtered out to prevent the reader from being lulled into a near-sleep state. The amplified signal is output to a speaker (headphone) positioned in the reader""s dominant ear. By outputting the reader""s own amplified voice and relying on the principle of ear dominance (i.e., directing sound to the faster processing ear), it has been found that the present system and method accelerates language decoding and reading fluency by combining immediate aural feedback and safe sound-frequency filters to clarify perception and to speed the listening process. Conscious listening with the dominant ear of the amplified voice signal allows the whole brain to be alert and attentive and allows the listener to maintain focus and attention. As students hear themselves establish a natural flow and rhythm while reading aloud, it becomes easier to understand what is being read. With repetition, the reader becomes more reflexive and the brain has more energy for comprehension. In addition to the aural feedback, visual feedback is provided with the assistance of a mirror device that the users views himself/herself in. This promotes principles such as standing up straight, breathing properly, moving mouth properly, pausing between words, and alternating reading aloud with counting on memorized words energetically into a mirror.